baby jogging?

is there any advice the forum could offer to a prospective parent on the art of running with a pushchair?

Particular technique, type of pushchair?

perhaps it should be avoided all together? is it bad for the baby? or maybe not until it's a bit older?

hypothetically of course. any advice welcome, thanks image

Comments

  • Babyjoggers are popular, quite expensive though.  Baby needs to be have good neck control so not recommended less than 5 or 6 months. 

    Wasn't bad for my little one, he always fell asleep during out trips out.

    Hypothetically of course image 

  • Its good quality time and good fun

    just take water bottle etc - as you'll burn up more calories etc pushing a buggy

    enjoy it

    contact me if you wish  

  • We have a Chariot... Which is without a doubt the best thing we have bought as active parents. it wasnt cheap, but we got it on ebay to save money and used it as our only buggy. Its probably done about 1000 miles in trailer mode and about 500 in running buggy mode and has been fantastic for helping us stay sane (running at 3 am when our nipper wouldnt sleep was a life saver!)



    Chariot do different seats/hammock things for different ages. While the head control thing is important, we found that Charlie was fine if we wedged him in there with a puffer jacket and ran on a track at a month old. We were onto smooth bike paths at two months and all was fine (he mostly slept!).



    I think my advice would be to go for the best u can afford if you both want to stay active and involve your nipper on your hobby. Big wheels and weight (less is better!) see the significant factors...



    Good luck!
  • It's great. Not up to date with current models so can't advise. However, I managed to run successfully with a pretty rubbish buggy - it was just an all terrain general model, not running specific, and only had 12 inch wheels. A proper running one will probably be even better. Some snippets of experience I gained:

    Don't go out with them until they have good neck control.

    Do wrap the little 'un up well - they are just lying/sitting, not working like you. Do put the rain cover up if it is cold to keep the wind off them. Do put the raincover up if the road is wet/muddy or the spray will get them and you will get in trouble when you get home! Do be prepared to be flexible - if the baby is unhappy they are more important than your run. Do do laps/route that takes you near home if you are doing a longer run - running 5 miles home with a screaming baby is not fun for them or you.  

  • I did a tonne of running with both my kids in a BabyJogger, and it was a really fun way for me to combine a run, spending time with the kids, and giving my wife some "her" time.



    I agree with the advice about them needing to have good neck control, although I think there is a jogger where the seat reclines so much that the kid is effectively lying down, which would reduce the danger of their head wobbling from side to side....image



    Once your child is old enough to talk to you, taking them for a long run is fab, as they just natter away, you have to keep to a conversational pace so you can reply, and the time just flies image
  • E mmyE mmy ✭✭✭

    My sister regularly runs with her 1 year old and he's been in a running buggy since 6 months old. He absolutely loves it! It's not just a way to get him off to sleep but as YP and others have said - it's also about bounding etc.

  • there is actually an article on this in this months runners world.

  • Was just going to say that Marc! Some pretty comprehensive info there and running buggy recommendations, they also say babies over 6 months.

    I noticed it especially because it seemed to be a brand new topic, not covered and rehashed endlessly in previous issues image

  • Good point about the handle height - I'd forgotten that. I found our running buggy much easier to use than our normal buggy, howver my wife, who is about 5-6 inches shorter than me found it incredibly difficult. The handle was too high for her, and she just could not push down on it easily to lift the front wheel for tight cornering.

  • Hi everyone. some fantastic advice there, thank you! image

    It just goes to show how little I look at my RW magazine! i'll take a peek, thanks for the heads-up image i'll also take a look at the mums thread too.

    I wasn't expecting the feedback to be all so positive. It's not something i'm hypothetically intending to do every day but, hypothetically, it's good to have the option. We wouldnt have many hypothetical babysitters.

    I am also glad to hear from some of you that it wasn't necessarily just a 'make do' arrangement and actually had a beneficial effect on the relationship between you and baby. i like the image of the wee one wittering away. and that the runner got a little extra calorie burn! albeit at a lower speed presumably?

    The height of the handle *should* be ok. i'm neither a giant nor a leprechaun, but it is worth checking. I hadn't thought of that.

    i'll take into account all the advice about the baby's neck. maybe talk to the doctor too. and make sure to keep him/her warm.

  • Dude,



    I actually think that the act of having to hold on to a handle helped my running style a little bit, as my natural tendency is hold my arms up high (imagine trying to pretend you're a chicken) and to flaill my arms around. However, running with a jogger forced me to keep my hands nearer waist height and not wave them all over the placeimage



    One of my fondest memories of running with my son was on a longish run when we reached a hill, and he noticed I had stopped answering him.



    Him - "Why are you not talking to me Daddy?"



    Me- "I'm tired - this hill is steep"



    Him - "I'm not tired"



    Me - "That's because you're not running..."



    Him - "Anyway, I don't think this is a hill, but I'm sure you can do it if you try!"



    Me - "Thanks son...."



    Him - "Come on Daddy, you can do it..."
  • I've just started running with my 2 and a half year old. We bought an all terrain buggy for ??20 (really!) and he loves it. So far we only do a couple of miles and it's more of a jog than a run, but I find he loves being out and about, and I don't find myself climbing the walls or having to run when the OH is home to babysit.
  • young pup - very funny image dismissive but encouraging! tough love. It all sounds rather fun.

    im glad to hear all this. i am likely to be doing the bulk of the minding so i'm glad that i'll still be able to get my fix, more or less.

    Ive seen one or two buggy users doing the parkrun, although i'm not sure if they both had a barcode image

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